the world without the AK

AK-47 never invented....

what would the world look like?

I know for a fact that some countries have the AK-47 on their national flag:eek:.
 
The fact that the Stg44 design would've been circulated in post-war Russia ensures that something very similar to it would've been developed eventually.
 

Sumeragi

Banned
Supposing that for some reason the sturdiness of the AK-47 was never developed..... I would say the proliferation of automatic weapons might have been more limited than OTL.
 
Is there such thing as a technological Vlad Tepes? Okay, not that harsh, but still, the AK is easily one of the best firearms ever made. It not being made would easily regress the development of firearms.

Although, as others have said, there will be something like it, and it will probably have many if not all of its revolutionary features.
 

Old Airman

Banned
AK-47 never invented....
AK-47 was not a fluke of good (or bad, depending on what side of the barrel you happen to be) luck, brilliant invention of one mind. It was a product of lengthy and laborous development process (Soviets even involved Hugo Schmeisser in it) to build a weapon to specifications which made AK-47 so famous (semi-controllable in full-auto, deadly in hands of illiterate conscript, effective range 200-400 m, tough and indestructible as nails). This was a close race between several competing designs all of which were built to the same requirements.
So, the short answer is - would Kalashnikov's design not succeed, it would be Bulkin's, Sudaev's, or Nikonov's design. Or full-auto version of SKS, which was almost as tough and (some argue) even more ergonomical.
 
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